England 9th century. England in the Middle Ages

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Early Middle Ages in England

The Middle Ages cover the period from mid-400 to the end of the 15th century. England in the early Middle Ages was characterized by unrest and ruin. The Anglo-Saxons had to resist the Norman conquerors, who mercilessly burned one locality after another. The bloodiest actions were in the north of the country, where the confrontation was especially brutal.
Few of the lords were able to keep their property intact. The nobility tried in every way to protect the property from ruin, swearing allegiance to King William. The monarch mercilessly suppressed Anglo-Saxon uprisings and distributed the liberated lands to the Norman lords. Being good strategist, William distributed the territories according to this principle: he gave half to the Normans, and one quarter each to the church and himself.
The principle of feudalism proposed by the king was convenient for building a clear chain of command: William was the rightful owner of the country, but administered with the help of vassals, who in return gave part of the harvest and provided soldiers for the regular army. Subordinate to the vassals were poor knights, lords and free people, whose rights were equal to slave rights. Inheritance of lands after the death of a vassal passed to his son, who paid tribute to the king for the right to own the territories.
In 1086 William decided to accurately determine the amount of land owned by the church, the lords and himself in order to calculate the amount of the annual tax. Thus, for the first time in the history of the country, a population census and assessment of state property were carried out. The event is known in history as Domesday Book.

England in the 11th-13th centuries

Medieval England was a time filled with wars and divisions within royal family. The struggle for the throne has become sole purpose potential monarchs who had little interest in the lives of their subjects and vassals. The situation escalated until he came to power King Richard's brother Lionheart- John.

The monarch was unprincipled and greedy and therefore was not popular among the common people and lords. All he was interested in was taxes and large quantities, with which he surrounded entire cities, all merchants and even monasteries. This continued until 1215, when his subjects, outraged by the king’s policies, arrived in London and forced John to sign an agreement called the Magna Carta. The agreement symbolized the receipt of some political freedoms, fair trial and obliged the monarch to protect free citizens from the lawlessness of officials. The goal of the vassals was to limit the king in his rights, but few suspected what role Magna Carta would play in the history of future Britain. The following rulers, recognizing the agreement as legitimate, authorized the dissolution feudal system, which ceased to exist in the 16th century.

English medieval parliament

John did not intend to implement the agreement signed against his will. The vassals rebelled and ousted the monarch from the southeast of England. The possibility of a civil war arose, which did not happen only because the ruler died in 1216. To the heir Henry III at that time he was only nine years old and was allowed to the throne only at the age of 25. Sensing power, he sidelined the nobles and fully supported foreigners, spending public money on papal wars. This situation was not beneficial for the lords and they in 1258 they seized power by establishing a council of nobles, calling it parliament. The new body began to manage the treasury and cut off Henry's connections with foreign advisers. The king enlisted the support of some influential rich people and regained unlimited power, leaving his son Edward I to rule, who included nobles, knights, landowners and merchants in parliament.

Medieval English cities

England in the Middle Ages was an agricultural country. The land was cultivated in areas adjacent to large and small towns. Among European countries, England was the most self-sufficient in agricultural production and trade within the regions was quite well developed.
Gradually, the Anglo-Saxons entered the international market and actively interacted in various fields with Scandinavian countries, as well as with France and Germany. The main export item was wool, which was in demand not only as raw materials, but also in finished products. English woolen fabric was sold at a high price and brought excellent income to both artisans and the treasury.

Almost every city had markets offering food and wool. Gradually the cities turned into independent citadels, surrounded by strong walls, behind which guilds of merchants and artisans were created, helping each other with the delivery of products.
The development of guilds was most widespread in London. A rich layer of artisans appeared in the city, who controlled cash flows and sales markets. The 12 largest trade organizations have grown into the largest financial organizations, which in modern world govern the City of London and influence the election of the mayor of the UK capital.

Late Middle Ages

The late Middle Ages in England were marked by a number of global events for the country, for example, such as Edward II's war with France, which became known as Hundred Years' War and lasted from 1337 to 1453. Victory constantly passed from one side to the other, and at first English troops won important strategic victories, but the French were periodically helped by the Scottish army, and the conflict between the countries continued until the 15th century.
In the 14th century, the plague came to England, killing more than a third of the population. The “Black Death” spared no one and left one out of 10 people infected with this terrible infection alive. During the period of epidemics, the number of inhabitants decreased from 4 million to two. Increased taxes led to peasant uprisings and riots, during which protesters captured half of London and put forward their demands to King Richard II. A little later, bursts of rebellion reached Wales, thanks to which the Welsh for the first time in history realized themselves as an independent and integral nation.

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England had barely united at the beginning of the 9th century. to one kingdom, how they began to attack her attack the Normans(Danes). They even took possession temporarily for the most part England, thanks to the fact that here royalty for the same reasons that acted in others German states, fell into disrepair. True, there was no real feudalism here, but something similar to it was established - strengthening of the landed nobility And enslavement of the masses. This was the result of the formation of the class tanov, who received large estates from the kings for their service. The most remarkable king of the Norman invasions was Alfred the Great(871–901), who was at first deprived of power by the Danes, who captured the entire country, and was forced to wander among forests and swamps, but then reconquered western part England and set about correcting the troubles caused by the conquerors. At the same time he restored the old Anglo-Saxon order in government and court with participation in them free people. This order turned out to be so tenacious that it was not destroyed even by the new conquest of western England by the Danes under Kanute the Great(1017–1035), under whose rule were simultaneously Denmark, Norway and England. This king, who adopted Christianity himself and spread it among the Danes and Norwegians, even directly contributed to the restoration of its original customs in England. In the specified preserving the ancient Germanic foundations of life is one of the very important features English history. Much of this way of life was preserved in England even when French feudalism was transferred to it.

176. Conquest of England by the Normans

In the middle of the 11th century. reigned in England Edward the Confessor, last descendant of Alfred the Great. His mother was a relative of the Duke of Normandy Wilhelm, and he himself was educated in Normandy, where he became addicted to French culture. Having no children, he bequeathed his crown William, but the Witenagemot after his death elected an Anglo-Saxon king Harold. Then Wilhelm, a man distinguished with a strong will and with organizational talent, at the same time cunning, greedy and power-hungry, he formed a large militia of knights from Normandy and other parts of France and undertook the conquest of England. The Battle of Hastings took place between Harold and William, in which Harold was killed and his army suffered a terrible defeat (1066). The Duke of Normandy is now King of England and was named Conqueror(1066–1087). Since, however, he conquered England with the help of knights, many of whom were even only volunteers, he had to reward them for this by giving them fiefs from the confiscated lands of the Anglo-Saxon nobility. At the end of his reign, William the Conqueror ordered rewrite all landed property in the kingdom with the designation of its owners and their duties (“Book of the Last Judgment”). According to this census, there were more than 60 thousand fiefs in all of England. The clergy also received a lot of land from Normandy. Thus Feudalism was transferred to England from France. Along with this official language England became French, and the Anglo-Saxon Church adopted many French customs.

William the Conqueror. Video

177. The difference between English feudalism and French

William the Conqueror was a very prudent sovereign, well aware of the state of affairs and able to avoid mistakes. Therefore, introducing the feudal structure of the state into England, he took care not to lose power from his hands. He understood well that the Norman knights would be afraid of the uprisings of the Anglo-Saxons, and these, in turn, would need protection from violence, and therefore he used all the means to use some to rule over others. By introducing feudalism, he nevertheless retained for the free Anglo-Saxons the use of their old orders. On the other hand, he obliged by oath in relation to themselves not only vassals (barons), as was the case in France, but also sub-vassals(knights). Further, declaring himself the supreme owner of all the land, he left a significant part of it for himself and did not distribute large estates to the barons in one place. The most generously endowed had lands scattered in different parts kingdom, so none of the barons there was no such continuous territory, which could turn into a strong seigneury. At this time, only very few Anglo-Saxons retained their lands and freedom, because the mass had already been secured before. Now she's out of addiction tans became dependent on barons And knights, but William I also took measures to ensure that the landowners could not become its real sovereigns.

178. French influence in England

William the Conqueror separated England from Normandy, giving the kingdom to his second son (William II), and the duchy to his eldest (Robert, a participant in the first crusade), but both of these possessions were again united under his rule by the third brother, Henry I, and they remained united after this is about a hundred years old, as a result of which the Normans and England had not merged with the Anglo-Saxons for a long time into one nation. Many barons owned lands in both England and Normandy, and therefore sought to introduce the order of French feudalism in England. They were helped by the fact that after the death of Henry I (1134) civil strife for the crown began between the daughter of Henry I Matilda and son of William the Conqueror's daughter Stefan from her marriage to a French count (Blois). Matilda, who herself was married to a Frenchman, Count of Anjou, from the family Plantagenets, eventually gained the upper hand, and with her son HenryII ascended the throne of England Plantagenet dynasty(1154). New dynasty was there too French. Henry II owned Normandy and Anjou in France, and through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII, also Aquitaine. Thus the Plantagenets were vassals French kings and they themselves had numerous vassals in France, and all this was only strengthened the influence of French views, morals and practices in England. But, on the other hand, accession to the English throne is such powerful dynasty stopped the successes that purely French feudalism made in England during the dispute for the crown, when the barons built three and a half hundred castles in England, even began to wage wars among themselves, terribly oppressed the peasant population, etc. The Plantagenets reigned in England for two and a half century, since mid-XII until the very end of XIV (1154–1399), i.e. in the era crusades and another whole century after their end, and under the kings of this dynasty, very important events took place in England.

On this lesson you will find yourself in England during the Middle Ages. This is the time of the reign of the greatest kings of the Plantagenet and Tudor dynasties, the struggle for power of the Lancaster and York dynasties, known in history as the War of the Roses, the time of the emergence of English Parliament, as well as the time of formation absolute monarchy in England, which still flourishes today, but in a limited form.

William the Conqueror took control of huge territory, which was much larger than his native Normandy. It was necessary to take measures to manage such big country. IN 1086 Wilhelm took the initiative to hold population census. This was the first population census in European history. This census provided information about all the inhabitants of England and even took into account the livestock they owned. This census has reached our time and is known as book “The Last Judgment” (Fig. 2). It is called that because the British did not want to conduct a census for fear of increased taxes. The same people who lied during the census were threatened with the “Last Judgment” after death. According to the book of the Last Judgment, the population of England, excluding Scotland, Wales and Ireland at the endXIcentury there were 1.5 million people. So huge state, at that time, it was difficult to govern, and attempts were beginning to form a system of governing the country. The territory of England began to be divided into separate areas - widths, and royal governors were appointed in them - sheriffs.

Rice. 2. Book of “The Last Judgment” (1086) ()

At HeinrichI(1100-1135) a number of measures were taken to make the state centralized. At this time it is created Royal Council and the Ministry of Finance, called at that time Chessboard Chamber.

During the reign HeinrichII(1154-1189) (Fig. 3) England begins active work on the continent. Henry II, as a descendant of William the Conqueror, owned the territory of Normandy. He was married to Alienora of Aquitaine, which ruled the lands in the southern part of France. Thanks to his wife, Henry II received the territories of Aquitaine, Bordeaux and Gascony. This did not suit the French kings, and contradictions began to grow between England and France.

Rice. 3. Henry II Plantagenet ()

Henry II also took active measures to strengthen the English state. He issued a decree transferring cases from the fiefdom to the royal courts. He had the initiative introduction of jury trials, and he also limited the service life of feudal lords in the army and introduced the so-called shield money, i.e., a tax that went to support the army, subordinate to the king.

Son of Henry II RichardILionheart(1189-1199), was active during foreign policy. However internal affairs He was practically not involved in England, and out of the 10 years of his reign, he was in England for just over a year.

In 1199, after the death of King Richard the Lionheart, his brother inherited the throne. John the Landless(1199-1216). He was not particularly popular in England. During his reign England loses almost all of its lands on the continent Therefore, John received the nickname Landless. John also distinguished himself by quarreling with the Pope - InnocentIII, as a result of which its popularity became even less. Then the barons (English nobility) announced that they were not going to obey the king. In June 1215 they declared Civil War on the king. The barons' troops gathered near London so that the king could take measures that suited the barons. John the Landless had to make concessions. In 1215 he signed a document known as Magna Carta liberties (Fig. 4). This document was the first in European practice to enshrine human rights, mainly baronial rights. The Magna Carta ordered the king to indulge the barons in everything. The king was deprived of the right to declare war and make peace without the consent of the barons; he was also deprived of the right to arrest the barons and punish them without trial. The English king did not want to sign this document, but he believed that this measure would be temporary. In order for the king not to change his word, it was created Council of Barons, who had the right to declare war on the king if he violated the provisions of the Magna Carta.

Rice. 4. Magna Carta - 1215 ()

It is incorrect to believe that this charter brought power only to the barons. It also contained certain guarantees regarding cities: the taxation procedure was fixed, and it was also indicated that cities also have the right to implement certain functions in the state. For example, a unified system of weights and measures was introduced, which seriously influenced the development of the English economy, and also simplified economic relations between various parts of this state.

The successor of John the Landless was HenryIII(1216-1272). He managed to quell the conflict with the Pope. His reign went down in English history as "The era of baronial oligarchy." In 1258 it was convened council of tycoons, which is known in history as "mad". The members of this council demanded the transfer of all power from royal hands to the hands of the barons. In fact, it was a question of a very serious limitation on the power of the monarch. This act went down in history as Oxford provisions. All this led to Civil War 1263-1267 At the height of this war, in 1265, Simon de Montfer convened the first meeting of the English Parliament (Fig. 5). It could not yet be considered fully a parliament; rather, it was a prototype of the House of Lords, but for the first time a council was convened that had the permanent right to influence the king. It included the largest magnates, leaders of the English church, as well as 2 knights from each county and 2 citizens from large English cities. Formally, this parliament did not have official powers, but in reality it had a very strong influence on the king. The king was present at these meetings and expressed his agreement with nods of his head or individual remarks, but critical issues decided without him. By the time of the king EdwardI first attempts English monarchs extend its influence further into the British Isles. In 1282-1283 Wales joined England, and in 1295, for the first time, English troops invaded Scotland. A national liberation movement soon broke out in Scotland under the leadership of RobertaIBruce. Scotland was a separate political education up to early XVIII century. The process of gradual unification of all of Britain under the rule of English kings began precisely in this era.

Rice. 5. The first meeting of parliament in England in 1265 ()

As a result, he received the throne HenryVIITudor. Despite the fact that his father came from the Welsh royal family, Henry belonged to the Lancaster family on his mother's side. Last representative Lancaster dynasty married the last representative of the York dynasty. The resulting dynasty was named - Tudor dynasty, which was in power until 1603.

Henry VII takes certain measures aimed at centralizing the state: his reforms were aimed at eliminating feudal castles in England and centralizing the country.

His son HenryVIII(1509-1547) (Fig. 6), is known for the measures he took to strengthen the English state. He created Privy Council in order for him to help him manage affairs in the country, but he did not seek to transfer part of his powers. Under Henry VIII propagation of Protestantism begins: he issues an act of supremacy, which was adopted in 1534. According to this act English king proclaimed head of the Anglican Church. He officially declared that neither the English king nor the English territories were no longer subject to the authority of the Pope.

Rice. 6. Henry VIII Tudor ()

Henry VIII interested in the wealth that the Catholic Church possessed in England. He took a number of steps to make the church property his own. In particular, he secularized church lands and destroyed all English monasteries.

After the death of Henry Tudor In 1547, a dynastic crisis arose in England. Great Expectations were entrusted to the son of Henry VIII - EdwardVI. He was still a child and reigned for only a short time (1547-1553). After the death of Edward VI, Catholicism returned when Henry VIII's eldest daughter came to power. MariaITudor, known in history as Bloody Mary(1553-1558) (Fig. 7). It was time of strengthening of the Catholic Church. Being a daughter Catherine of Aragon, a representative of the Spanish royal house, Mary Tudor was raised in the spirit of Catholicism. In 1558 Queen of England becomes Mary Tudor's younger sister - ElizabethITudor (Fig. 8). The era of her reign went down in the history of England as a kind of “Golden Age”. At this time, the British created their first colonies. Also at this time the policies of mercantilism and protectionism(active government intervention in industry and trade). It was at this time that England gradually began to reach advanced positions in Europe in terms of production volumes. But England's heyday dates back to the 19th century.

Rice. 7. Mary I Tudor ()

Rice. 8. Elizabeth I Tudor ()

Historians believe that Elizabethan eraI- this is the rise of the absolute monarchy in England. Elizabeth's successors from Stuart dynasty will continue to strengthen the monarchy. But in 1640 the English Revolution occurred, which you will learn about from the course on the history of modern times.

References

1. Volobuev O.V. Ponomarev M.V., General history for 10th grade. - M.: Bustard, 2012.

2. Glebov A.G. England in early Middle Ages. - Eurasia Publishing House, 2007.

3. Klimov O.Yu., Zemlyanitsin V.A., Noskov V.V., Myasnikova V.S. General history for 10th grade. - M.: Ventana-Graf, 2013.

4. Markova S.P. England of the Middle Ages and early modern times. - KDU Publishing House, 2007.

5. Tenenbaum B. The Tudors; "Golden age". - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2012.

6. Ustinov V.G. Wars of the Roses. Yorkies vs Lancasters. - M.: Veche, 2012.

Homework

1. Tell us about the arrival of the Germanic tribes to Britain: the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

2. Tell us about the era of the Plantagenet dynasty: highlight its most important representatives and tell us what contribution they made to the history of England.

3. Why did the War of the Scarlet and White Roses happen? What were the results of the war?

4. Tell us about the era of the Tudor dynasty. Why do you think England began to gradually flourish at this time?

Utah - Germanic tribe, lived in the very south and southeast of the Jutland Peninsula in the Holstein region.

The Saxons are a Germanic tribal union. The initial place of their settlement was the area along the lower reaches of the Rhine and Elbe.

Later they spread to different sides, including southwestern Jutland.

The English (LG.E, 3013)

THE BRITISH are the people, the main population of Great Britain. Formed in the Middle Ages from Germanic tribes , , And , as well as assimilated by them island population. There are 44.7 million people in the UK, about 110 million people in the world. The ethnonym appears in the texts . In one of his interviews, the scientist said that at the very beginning of his scientific research he was very interested in the question of the emergence of new ethnic groups: “if we look at what peoples there were in ancient times, we will not find there the French, the British, the Russians, or the Turks. Their place was taken by completely different peoples, who have now survived either as relics, very insignificant numerically and isolated, or in general only the memory of them has survived,” the scientist noted in one of his conversations (“Where did Rus' come from...” (July 11 2010, with V. Lysov).

Brook S.I. English

BRITISH (20), the main population (77.5%) of Great Britain. The total population is 47,700 thousand people, including in Great Britain - 44,000. They live in many countries, mainly in the USA (650 thousand people), as well as former possessions of Great Britain - Canada - 1000, Australia - 950, New Zealand - 200, South Africa - 230, India - 200 thousand people and in other countries. The British, together with people from other countries, formed the basis of the American, Anglo-Canadian, Anglo-Australian and Anglo-New Zealand nations.

Gaels (SIE, 1963)

GELS, Gaels, Goidels, are a group of ancient Celtic tribes (see Celts) who settled in Ireland; having mixed with the local pre-Indo-European population, they laid the foundation for the formation of the Irish people (see Irish). Part of the Gaels (tribes of Scots and others) moved to Scotland in the 5th and 6th centuries, where, in turn, mixing with the Picts, they participated in the formation of the Scottish people (see Scots). Currently, the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Scotland (the so-called Highlanders, i.e., highlanders) and the Hebrides are called Gaels.

The Welsh (SIE, 1962)

WELSHES, Welsh, are a Celtic people language group. They inhabit Wales and Monmouthshire (Great Britain). Number - over 1 million people. (1959). The language is Welsh, but English is also currently spoken. By religion they are mainly Anglicans. The ancestors of the Welsh are the Celtic tribes of the Cymry, who lived in the mountainous regions of Wales, and the Celtic tribes of the Britons who mixed with them, driven by the Anglo-Saxons into the mountains of Wales from the southwestern regions of Great Britain.

Grozdova I.N. The English (SIE, 1961)

THE BRITISH are a nation, the main population of Great Britain, where their number is over 43 million people (1958). The English also live in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eire and outside the British Isles - in the English dominions and colonies, in the USA and other countries. English language belongs to the West German group Indo-European languages. By religion, the majority of English believers belong to the Anglican Church (according to the encyclopedia "Britannica", vol. 8, 1959 - over 25 million people), there are about 3.3 million Catholics among the British.

Semenova L.Yu. Britons

BRITS (lat. Britanni) is the collective name for a number of Celtic tribes that inhabited Britain from the 8th century BC. e. until V-VI centuries. n. e. The etymology of the word “Britons” remains unclear: according to one version, the later Latin Britto (singular) may come from the Celtic brith, i.e. “motley, colorful,” which indirectly indicates the peculiarities appearance representatives of the tribe who wore, as R. Thomson admits, bright clothes. According to another hypothesis, the name of the Britons is a distortion of the self-name of the Picts - Prydem. The organization of their life was subordinated to the principles of the communal-tribal system. The preservation of tribal traditions, including through maintaining ties with the continental Celts (as Strabo pointed out), and their independent character did not allow the Britons to be completely subjugated during the period of Roman expansion into Britain and significantly slowed down the process of Romanization...

Gurevich A.Ya. Anglo-Saxons

ANGLO-SAXANS - a people formed on the territory of England in the 7th-10th centuries, after the Anglo-Saxon conquest, in the process of mixing the tribes of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes and also absorbed Celtic elements. The formation of the Anglo-Saxon nation took place in the context of the collapse of tribal ties during the settlement of the Germans in the conquered territory and their unity in the fight against the Britons in the West and North of the island, and from the end of the 8th century - against the attacks of the Scandinavians.